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CSHM/ICMH 

Microfiche 

Series. 


CIHM/ICMH 
Collection  de 
microfiches. 


Canadiar.  Institute  for  Historical  Microreproductions  Institut  Canadian  de  microreproductions  historiques 

1980 


Technical  Notes  /  Notes  technip'jes 


The  Institute  has  attempted  to  obtain  the  best 
original  copy  available  for  filming.  Physical 
features  of  this  copy  which  may  alter  any  of  the 
images  in  the  reproduction  are  checked  below. 


L'Institut  a  microfilm^  le  meilleur  exemplaire 
qu'il  lui  a  6x6  possible  de  se  procurer.  Certains 
d^fauts  suscaptibles  de  nuire  d  la  quality  de  la 
reproduction  sont  not6s  ci-dessous. 


0       Coloured  covers/ 
Couvertures  de  couleur 


D 


Coloured  pages/ 
Pages  de  couleur 


D 
D 

n 


Coloured  maps/ 

Cartes  d^ographiques  en  couleur 


Pages  discoloured,  staineJ  or  foxed/ 
Pages  d6colordes,  tachetdes  ou  piqu6es 


Tight  binding  (may  cause  shadows  or 
distortion  along  interior  margin)/ 
Reliure  serrd  (peut  causer  de  Tombrt  ou 
de  la  distortion  le  long  de  la  marge 
int6rieure) 


D 
D 


D 


Coloured  plates/ 
Planches  en  couleur 


Show  through/ 
Transparence 


Pages  damaged/ 
Pages  endommagdes 


D 


Additional  comments/ 
Commentaires  suppldmentaires 


Bibliographic  Notes  /  Notes  bibliographiques 


D 


Only  edition  available/ 
Seule  Edition  disponible 


D 


Pagination  incorrect/ 
Erreurs  de  pagination 


D 


Bound  with  other  material/ 
Re!i6  avec  d'autres  documents 


D 


Pages  missing/ 
Des  pages  manquent 


D 


Cover  title  missing/ 

Le  titre  de  couverture  manque 


n 


Maps  missing/ 

Des  cartes  gdographiques  manquent 


D 


Plates  missing/ 

Des  planches  manquent 


D 


Additional  comments/ 
Commentaires  supplAmentaires 


The  images  appearing  here  are  the  best  quality 
possible  considering  the  condition  and  legibility 
of  the  original  copy  and  in  keeping  with  the 
filming  contract  specifications. 


The  last  recorded  frame  on  each  microfiche  shall 
contain  the  symbol  -^(meaning  CONTINUED"), 
or  the  symbol  V  (meaning  "END"),  whichever 
applies. 


Les  images  suivantes  ont  6t6  roproduites  avec  le 
plus  grand  soin,  compte  tenu  de  la  condition  et 
de  la  netteti  de  I'exemplaire  film6.  et  en 
conformity  avec  les  conditions  du  contrat  de 
filmage. 

Un  des  symboles  suivants  apparaftra  sur  la  der- 
niire  imaqe  de  cheque  microfiche,  selon  le  cas: 
le  symbole  — ►  signifie  "A  SUIVRE",  le  symbole 
V  signifie  "FIN". 


The  original  copy  was  borrowed  from,  and 
filmed  with,  the  Icind  consent  of  the  followfng 
institution: 

Library  of  the  Public 

Archives  of  Canada 

Maps  or  plates  too  large  to  be  entirely  included 
in  one  exposure  are  filmed  beginning  in  the 
upper  left  hand  corner,  left  to  right  and  top  to 
bottom,  as  many  frames  as  required.  The 
following  diagrams  illustrate  the  method: 


L'exemplaire  filmd  fut  reproduit  grdce  d  la 
g6n6rosit6  de  I'dtablissement  prdteur 
suivant  : 

La  bibliothdque  des  Archives 

publiques  du  Canada 

Les  cartes  ou  les  planches  trop  grandes  pour  dtre 
reproduites  en  un  seul  cliche  sont  filmdes  d 
partir  de  Tangle  sup6rieure  gauche,  de  gauche  d 
droite  et  de  haut  en  has.  en  prenant  le  nombre 
d'images  necessaire.  Le  diagramme  suivant 
illustre  la  mdthode  : 


1 

i 

3 

1 

2 

3 

4 

S 

6 

'I 


■^3 


u^^ 


N  THE  FOOTSTEPS 
OF  CADILLAC.... -c 


BY  C.  M.  BUR'T'ON. 


^4..».i^.J..T,,t^.»J^J„|.„J„ 


31 


.;.^-j..j,^..j^j,.t.^,^.^^ 


4~H~f^^j^,^^,^.j. 


ANTOINE     DE     LA    MOTHE 
i*.  .  CADILLAC.  5 

'^>W"^>^>^'^^^«^«4~^»H~I^^^^^■I^■I^^I■■^^I■■I■■I■■I.j■ 


^. 


DETROIT: 
Wt)LVKRINI-;  rHiNTixr.   Co. 

IHIK) 


/-; 


It 

1^ 


/ 


...IN  THE  FOOTSTEPS  OF  CADILLAC... 


V*  v'v*^^v^v^ 


An  ,i.tempt  to  follow  in  the  foot- 
steps of  Antoine  de  LaMothe  Cadillac, 
the  past  summer,  has  presented  to  me 
many  objects  of  Interest  and  hai 
taught  me  much  that  I  did  not  before 
know  concernlnff  the  founder  of  the 
city  of  Detroit. 

CadlUao  came  to  M.  cklnac  (then 
Michillimackinac)  as  its  commandant  in 
1694,  and  remained  in  charge  of  that 
post  for  three  years.  He  then  return- 
ed to  Quebec  and  ultimately  to  Paris 
where.  In  the  year  1700,  he  obtained 
permission  to  found  the  city  of  De- 
troit. He  was  well  qualliled  for  this 
task  from  his  previous  acquaintance 
with  the  country;  and  from  his  tem- 
perament and  natural  ability  no  better 
person  could  have  been  chosen  to  found 
a  colony  in  the  west.  There  was,  up 
to  this  time,  no  French  colony  further 
west  than  Montreal,  for  all  the  west- 
ern posts  were  military  or  religious  es- 
tablishments. 

The  great  object  In  founding  a  col- 
ony was  to  establish  something  perma- 
nent that  should  serve  as  a  protection 
for  the  French  traders,  and  the  mla- 
slonarles  among  the  Indians,  and  which 
would  prevent  the  encroachments  of 
the  English  on  the  territory  which 
France  claimed,  but  the  boundaries  of 
which  were  not  well  defined  then  and 
which  were,  in  fact,  never  offlclally 
designated. 

Although  many  explorers  and  trav- 
elers had  passed  through  the  Lakes 
Ontario  and  Erie  and  around  the  falls 
of  Niagara,  before  the  year  1701,  and 
that  pathway  to  the  northwest  was 
fairly  well  known,  Cadillac  was  di- 
rected to  take  the  Ottawa  route  rather 
than  that  of  the  lakes,  on  account  of 
the  hostility  of  the  Iroquois  Indians, 
who,  at  this  time,  were  at  war  with 


the  French.  The  Ottawa  route,  so-call- 
ed, was  up  the  Ottawa  river  from  Mon- 
treal nearly  to  its  source,  thence 
across  the  long  portage  to  Lake  Nipls- 
slng,  thence  through  Frenchman's  riv- 
er to  the  Georgian  bay  and,  coasting 
the  bay,  in  a  southerly  and  westerly 
direction  to  Lake  Huron,  the  River  St. 
Clair,  and  so  finally  to  the  Detroit 
river.  This  course  was  long  and  tedi- 
ous, for  there  were  some  30  portages 
where  the  canoes  and  the  luggage  of 
the  company  had  to  be  carried  f.i  the 
shoulders  of  the  oarsmen  and  voyarsurs 
but  It  was  the  rouce  that  had  been 
traversed  for  many  years  by  all  those 
Frenchmen  who  had  penetrated  into 
the  upper  country. 

My  desire  was  to  go  to  Mackinac  and 
by  easy  stages  reverse  the  footsteps 
of  these  voyageurs  and  pass  through 
the  Georgian  bay.up  Frenchman's  river, 
through  Lake  Nlptsslng  and  down  tho 
Ottawa  river  to  Montreal,  but  the  lim- 
ited time  at  my  disposal  would  not 
permit  a  trip  of  this  duration,  and  I 
planned  a  route  more  in  consonance 
with  that  of  established  travel  through 
the  lakes  and  down  the  St.  Lawrence. 

The  first  object  of  real  interest,  as 
connected  with  Cadillac,  is  the  Wel- 
land  canal.  Shortly  after  Cadillac  had 
establlsh'd  Detroit,  a  peace  with  the 
Iroquois  was  entered  into  and  the  path- 
way around  the  falls  of  Niagara  was 
opened  for  the  second  and  all  the  suc- 
ceeding trios  to  Detroit,  and  It  is  not 
recorded  that  the  Ottawa  route  was 
thereafter  ever  used  for  those  who 
came  so  far  south  as  Detroit. 

Cadillac's  Foreslgrht. 

In  one  of  the  earliest  of  Cadillac's  re- 
ports he  advocates  the  building  of  a 
canal  around  Niagara  falls.  This  was 
an  extraordinary  display  of  foresight. 
There  had  been,  a  few  years  before 
this,  a  sail  vessel,  the  Griffon,  on  Lake 
Erie,   but   it   was   wrecked   the   same 


year  It  was  built  and  no  oti  er  sail 
vessel  was  ever  launched  by  the  French 
on  the  upper  lakes,  nor  was  there  any 
vessel  of  considerable  size  floated  on 
these  waters  until  some  years  after 
British  occupation. 

The  Welland  canal  of  today  must 
bave  been  as  far  beyond  the  concep- 
tion of  Cadillac  In  1702  as  the  vessels 
of  today  exceed  in  size  the  Griffon 
that  LaSalle  launched  near  Buffalo  in 
1679. 

This  magniflcent  canal  is  a  feat  of 
engineering  wonderful  to  the  people 
of  today,  and  I  thought,  as  I  wan- 
dered along  its  massive  stone  basins 
and  locks,  what  the  surprise  of  Cadil- 
lac would  be  if  he  could  be,  for  an 
instant,  permitted  to  see  carried  Into 
effect  his  suggestions  or  plans  of  two 
centuries  ago. 

After  passing  through  this  canal  our 
boat  next  went  to  Toronto  and  thence 
to  Oswego.  Both  of  these  places  are 
full  of  historic  interest  but  not  that 
of  the  subject  I  was  investigating.  The 
beautiful  scenery  of  the  Thousand 
islands  is  nearly  as  wild  as  it  was  in 
Cadillac's  time,  but  the  hand  of  man 
has  changed  the  aspects  of  many 
islands  and  turned  their  barrenness 
and  wildness  into  bowers  of  beauty. 
The  rapids  of  the  St.  Lawrence  colh- 
mence  a  short  distance  below  Ogdens- 
burg  and  continue  to  Montreal. 

These  rapids  are  in  no  manner 
changed  from  Cadillac's  time  and  are 
just  as  dangerous  noT.'  as  when  the 
Frenchmen  and  Indians  of  his  day 
braved  the  waves  in  their  frail  canoes. 
Accidents  frequently  happened;  canoes 
were  upset  and  their  occupants  were 
drowned  or  barely  escaped  with  their 
lives ;  but  the  people  continued  to  pass 
down  the  river  by  that  route  rather 
than  walk  along  the  shore  and  let 
their  boats  float  at  the  end  of  long 
ropes,  which  were  occasionally  used 
for  that  purpose. 

The  streets  of  Montreal  are  an  evi- 
dence of  the  French  ideas  of  two  cen- 
turies ago.  They  are  narrow, 
straight  and  short.  The  town  of  Ville 
Marie,  founded  by  Malsonneuve  In 
1642,  is  still  to  be  seen  in  the  city  of 
Montreal  of  today,  for  the  streets  are 
there  as  they  were  occupied  by  those 
old  French  habitans,  and  some  of  the 
buildings  still  remain. 

Montreal  is  all  stone  and  brick  and 
the    massive   stone    buildings    of    the 


later  times  are  out  of  sorts  with  the 
narrow  streets  on  which  they  are 
erected. 

Church      Attended      by     Detroit'* 
Founder. 

Here,  on  St.  Paul  street,  near  the 
river,  stands  Bonsecour  church,  the 
oldest  church  in  Montreal,  and  here 
Cadillac  and  his  wife  and  family  went 
to  mass  many  times,  for  it  was  then 
the  only  church  in  Montreal,  and 
Cadillac  was  a  devout  catholic. 

The  tablet  on  the  church  informs  ua 
that  the  present  structure  is  modem, 
compared  with  Cadillac's  time,  but 
that  its  foundation  antedates  Detroit 
several  years. 

I  took  a  copy  of  the  Inscription, 
which  is  as  follows: 

N.  D.  Bonsecour. 
Commencee  USl.    Incendlee  1761 

Reconstrulte         1772.    RMtoree  1888. 

The  Numismatic  and  Antiquarian 
Society  of  Montreal,  some  years  since, 
hunted  up  the  points  of  historical  in- 
terest in  the  city  and  erected  tablets 
to  indicate  the  important  event  or  loca- 
tion of  the  place.  These  tablets  are 
fastened  up  in  many  places  In  the 
older  French  portion  of  the  city.  Some 
of  them  are  of  interest  to  the  people 
of  Detroit  as  indicating  some  matters 
in  which  our  city  took  a  part.  As  an 
instance,  at  the  northwest  corner  of 
McGill  and  Notre  Dame  streets  la  the 
following  inscription: 

RecolIetB  Gate. 

By  this  gate 

Amheret  took  poBsesaion. 

8   September  1760. 


Oen.   Hull,  U.  S.  Army, 

25  officers,   360  men.  entered 

Prisoners  of  War, 

10  September  1812. 

An  inscription  of  more   interest  to 

me  was  that  affixed  at  the  northwest 

corner  of  St.  Lambert  and  Notre  Dame 

streets,  as  follows: 

In   1694 
Here  stood  the  bovine  of 

LaMothe  Cadillac, 
The  Founder  of  Detroit. 

This  statement  is  not  exactly  true, 
but  it  Is  supported  by  facta  sufficient 
to  make  the  assertion  reasonably  cor- 
rect. Cadillac  did  not  live  In  Mon- 
treal In  1694,  but  was  stationed  at 
MichiUlmacklnac.  His  wife  remained 
in  Montreal  until  his  return  there    In 


J 


1697.  He  did  not.  owu  any  dwelling,  at 
that  time,  in  Montreal,  nor  have  I 
been  able  ♦"  Ind  that  he  ever  owned 
one  there,  ab  commandant  at  Mack- 
inac he  was  permitted  to  engage  in 
trade  there  and  his  wife  acted  as  his 
agent  in  Montreal  In  purchasing  goods 
and  forwarding  them  to  him  for  sale 
to  the  Indians  or  traders.  At  Mon- 
treal lived  LaMothe  Luciere,  a  name- 
salce  and  possibly  a  relative  of  Cad- 
illac. This  man  was  an  army  officer 
of  some  prominence  who  had,  a  few 
year  before  this,  at  the  request  of  the 
French  government,  built  a  fort  at 
Niagara.  He  was  also  governor  of 
Montreal  In  1669  and  1670.  LaMothe 
Luciere  lived  on  Notre  Dame  street 
In  Montreal  and  Madam  Therese 
Guyon  (wife  of  Cadillac)  made  her 
home  with  him  during  the  absence  of 
her  husband  at  Mackinac.  I  have  not 
discovered  anything  to  indicate  that 
LaMothe  Cadillac  and  LaMothe  Lu- 
ciere were  In  any  way  related,  but 
the  identity  of  the  family  name,  La- 
Mothe, indicates  that  they  had  some 
connection  with  each  other.  What  lit- 
tle we  know  of  the  life  of  Madam 
Cadillac  indicates  that  she  was  a  ca- 
pable and  energetic  business  woman 
as  well  as  a  trave  and  affectionate 
wife.  I  have  copies  of  many  contracts, 
for  various  purposes,  entered  into  by 
her  for  promoting  the  interest  of  her 
husband,  and  she  borrowed  money  for 
him  and  purchased  goods  to  send  to 
him  on  many  occasions.  I  do  not 
know  what  authority  the  society  had 
for  placing  this  placard  at  the  corner 
of  St.  Lambert  street,  but  probably  it 
was  the  home  of  LaMothe  Luciere, 
and  that  Cadillac  and  his  wife  tem- 
porarily lived  there.  That  he  once 
occupied  it  made  it  an  object  of  in- 
terest. 

Valuable  Doonment*  for  Detroit. 

There  are  many  other  inscriptions 
of  local  interest;  some  in  French  and 
others  in  Bnglish,  but  no  others  of 
local  interest  to  Detroit,  except  as 
they  pertain  to  the  histoiy  of  the 
northwest. 

I  visited  the  Palais  de  Justice  and 
was  permitted  to  inspect  and  read  the 
archives  in  the  basement  of  this  great 
building.  Here  are  collected  and  pre- 
served t^je  musty  records  of  two  cen- 


turies and  a  half  of  Canadian  history. 
I  have  had  a  copyist  busy  for  some 
years  transcribing  such  of  those  rec- 
ords as  pertain  to  Detroit  and  the 
matter  is  far  from  being  exhausted 
yet.  The  wealth  of  historical  matter 
in  these  ancient  and  yellow  documents 
is  unknown  to  historians,  I  believe, 
and  I  think  I  am  the  first  person  to 
disclose,  in  part,  their  value  to  the 
writers  and  readers  of  history.  Some 
20  or  30  volumes  of  these  records  have 
already  been  transcribed  for  my  use 
and  no  item  later  than  the  year  1760 
has  yet  been  copied.  Dwelling  upon 
the  quantity  and  wealth  of  these  old 
papers  will  scarcely  convey  an  idea  of 
their  importance,  and  I  can  only  ex- 
press my  appreciation  of  them  by  the 
word  "invaluable." 

Nearly  across  the  street  from  the 
Palais  de  Justice  and  a  block  or  so 
further  to  the  east,  on  the  southerly 
side  of  Notre  Dame  street,  is  situated 
the  Chateau  de  Ramezay,  built  for 
Claude  de  Ramezay  in  1704  or  1705.  This 
building  was  of  great  interest  to  me 
and  is  of  so  much  interest  now  to  the 
people  of  Montreal  that  they  have 
purchased  it  and  retain  it  in  its  orig- 
inal shape  as  a  memorial  of  old  Mont- 
real. 

Shortly  after  Detroit  was  founded 
Cadillac  got  into  a  quarrel  with  the 
Company  of  the  Colony  of  Canada  rel- 
ative to  the  right  to  the  trade  of  the 
new  post  and.  in  consequence  of  the 
quarrel,  he  was  summoned  to  Mont- 
real, where  he  was  detained— not  ex- 
actly placed  under  arrest,  but  com- 
pelled to  remain  within  the  limits  of 
the  city  pending  the  hearing  of  the 
charges  preferred  against  him.  At  this 
time  Claude  de  Ramezay  was  the  gov- 
ernor of  Montreal,  and,  in  that  capac- 
ity, Cadillac  was  subject  to  bis  orders 
and  to  a  certain  extent  he  was  in  his 
custody.  Ramezay  proved  himself  in 
many  ways  to  be  the  friend  of  his 
prisoner,  giving  him  personal  liberty 
there  and  assisting  him  in  his  appeal 
to  the  authorities  at  Quebec^  and  in 
France.  Probably  he  was  en.ertalned 
by  Ramezay  at  this  chateaj,  for  at 
this  time  the  building  was  just  com- 
pleted or  in  process  of  erection. 

Hlatorlo  Old  Castle. 

The  building  itself  is  a  marvel  of 
solid  masonry,  so  substantial  that  the 


CHATEAU    DE    RAMEZAY,    MONTREAL,  WHERE  CADILLAC  WAS  EN- 
TERTAIN ED  IN  1704. 


winters  of  200  years  have  disclosed  no 
faults  In  Its  construction.  I  cannot 
adequately  describe  its  massive  walls 
of  stone,  its  great  fireplace  in  the 
basement  or  cuisine,  its  vaulted  wine 
cellar  which  seems  like  a  dungeon  of 
some  old  castle.  The  building  is  two 
stories  in  height  besides  the  cellar  and 
basement,  and  the  rooms  are  large. 
Here  for  more  than  a  century  assem- 
bled the  great  men  of  the  nation  on 
important  occasions.  The  successive 
governors  met  the  Indian  chiefs  on 
their  visits  to  the  city,  receiving  them 
In  the  great  reception  room  of  the 
chateau.  Here  in  this  council  room 
sat  many  of  the  noted  men  of  the 
last  century— Ramezay,  Vaudreuil, 
Cadillac.  Gen.  Amherst,  Gen.  Gage, 
Sir  Guy  Carleton  (afterward  Lord 
Dorchester),  Benjamin  Franklin, 
Charles  Carroll  (survivor  of  the  sign- 
ers of  the  declaration  of  independence), 
Benedict  Arnold,  the  traitor,  and  many 
others. 

In  February,  1776,  congress  appoint- 
ed three  commissioners,  Benjamin 
Franklin,  Charles  Carroll  and  Samuel 
Chase,  to  go  to  Canada  to  see  if  they 


could  not  enlist  the  Canadians  in  the 
American  cause  in  the  war  then  pend- 
ing with  England.  Rev.  John  Carroll, 
afterward  archbishop  of  Baltimore, 
accompanied  the  expedition.  On  their 
arrival  at  Montreal  they  were  met  by 
Gen.  Benedict  Arnold.  One  of  the  com- 
missioners, Charles  Carroll,  on  the  oc- 
casion wrote: 

"We  supped  at  that  general's  and 
after  supper  were  conducted  to  our 
lodgings— the  house  of  Thomas  Walk- 
er—the best  built  and  perhaps  the  best 
furnished  Jn  this  town." 

The  "house  of  Thomas  Walker"  was 
at  the  west  end  of  the  Chateau  de 
Ramezay,  and  here  they  remained  un- 
til their  return  to  the  states.  Dr. 
Franklin,  who  was  old  (70  years  of 
age)  and  infirm,  remained  but  a  few 
dnys  and  set  out  on  the  11th  of  May 
on  his  return.  Rev.  John  Carroll 
started  with  him. 

It  is  related  that  while  Franklin  was 

stopping  in  Montreal  the  first  printing 

press  there  was  set  up  in  the  basement 

of  the  chateau  under  his  directions,  by 

Joseph  Fleury  Mesplet,  who  came  to 


J 


Montreal  with  the  commissioners.  This 
may  have  been  a  fact,  for  It  is  certain 
that  at  about  this  time  the  first  press 
was  brought  to  Montreal,  but  the  lim- 
ited time  of  Franklin's  visit  would  not 
permit  htm  to  give  Mesplet  many  les- 
sons In  printing.  However,  the  first 
newspaper  there,  the  Gazette  du  Com- 
merce et  Lltteraire,  pour  la  Viile  et 
District  de  Montreal,  was  published  by 
Charles  F.  Mesplet  and  C.  Berger  on 
June  3  in  the  following  year. 

Quebec  In  Cadlllae'H  Time. 

Quebec,  the  next  place  of  import- 
ance that  attracts  our  attention,  is 
more  like  the  ancient  French  cities 
than  is  Montreal.  Not  only  do  its  nar- 
row streets  Indicate  its  age,  but  Its 
very  people  seem  to  live  In  last  cen- 
tury. In  an  estimated  population  of 
75,000  I  understand  that  only  5,000  are 
Protestants  and  only  the  latter  num- 
ber speak  the  English  language.  Many 
of  the  French  people  are  able  to  speak 
both  languages,  but  this  knowledge  Is 
confined  to  merchants  and  clerks  and 
those  carrying  on  a  business  that 
brings  them  Into  contact  with  both 
nationalities. 

The  streets  are  exceedingly  narrow 
in  the  lower  town— the  older  part. 
Nearly  all  of  the  buildings  here  were 
destroyed  or  seriously  Injured  by  the 
bombardment  of  Gen.  "Wolfe  In  1759, 
but  they  were  reconstructed  on  their 
old  foundations  and  the  streets  were 
neither  straightened  nor  widened.  The 
electric  cars,  recently  Introduced, 
nearly  monopolize  many  of  the  streets, 
for  there  was  scarcely  room  for  two 
vehicles  to  pass,  before,  and  the  new 
car  line  is  placed  In  the  center  of  the 
stree:  so  now  the  car  must  wait  for 
teams  to  move  along  to  the  next  cross- 
ing before  It  can  proceed. 

Some  of  the  streets  are  so  narrow 
that  only  one  team  can  pass  at  a 
time— 10  to  12  feet  In  width— and  here 
are  huddled  a  multitude  of  women  and 
children,  living  in  apartments  over  the 
stores  they  own.  The  street  is  not 
wide  enough  for  a  walk  beside  the 
driveway  and  the  people  must  neces- 
sarily go  Into  the  street  to  walk. 

This  is  the  city  of  Quebec,  as  It  was 
In  Cadillac's  time,  for  here  his  wife 
lived  with  her  father,  Denys  Guyon, 
and  her  brothers,  after  the  father's 
death,  in  a  stone  house  on  St.  Pierre 


street  In  Lower  Town,  In  this  town 
Cadillac  and  Marie  Therese  Guyon 
were  married  on  the  25th  of  June,  1687, 
and  here  they  lived  for  some  time 
then,  and  at  a  later  date. 

Cadillac  was  in  the  marine  depart- 
ment and  was  stationed  on  the  hill 
that  overlooks  the  city,  probably  the 
present  site  of  the  Chateau  Frontennc, 
or  possibly  even  further  up  at  the 
citadel.  When  the  evening  came  and 
he  was  released  from  his  duties  he, 
with  others,  was  accustomed  to  wan- 
der down  the  long  winding  roadway 
of  the  hill  reaching  to  Lower  Town  to 
visit  the  places  of  amusement.  q\;  pos- 
sibly the  16-year-old  girl  who  became 
Madam  Cadillac  in  1687. 

An  episode  in  the  life  of  the  founder 
is  related  in  the  unpublished  records 
of  that  time  as  follows: 

Detpolt's   Founder  in  a  Bpa-wl.   " 

On  Thursday,  May  2,  1686.  Cadillac, 
then  a  lieutenant  of  the  company  of 
Sieur  de  Vallereinies,  got  into  a  quar- 
rel with  Sieur  de  Sabrevoye,  sub-lieu- 
tenant of  the  Company  of  Desquerac 
at  the  house  of  the  widow  of  Pierre 
Pellerin,  Sieur  de  St.  Amant,  on  St. 
Pierre  street,  In  Lower  Town,  where 
Cadillac  had  called  early  in  the  even- 
ing and  had  been  invited  to  have  a 
glass  with  the  assembly. 

The  quarrel  arose  over  some  reflec- 
tions of  Cadillac  regarding  the  habits 
of  Sabrevoye,  and  on  the  fact  that 
Sabrevoye  was  supported  by  the  Mar- 
quis Denonville,  governor  and  lieu- 
tenant-general for  the  king.  In  the 
melee  Cadillac  threatened  to  thrash 
Sabrevoye;  both  men  attempted  to 
draw  their  swords,  but  the  bystanders 
threw  themselves  between  them  and 
prevented  the  duel,  whereupon  Cadil- 
lac took  up  the  copper  candlestick, 
which  was  on  the  table,  and  threw  it 
at  the  head  of  Sabrevoye,  wounding 
him  and  extinguishing  the  light.  La- 
Perelle,  a  sub-lieutenant,  and  Sieur 
Declavaux,  who  were  present,  ejected 
Cadillac  from  the  house. 

Cadillac  was  very  much  frightened 
for  if  news  of  the  event  came  to  the 
ears  of  the  marquis  It  would  probably 
end  in  his  ruin.  He  was  summoned 
before  the  recorder  of  the  marshal's 
court.  A  great  amount  of  testimony 
was  taken  in  the  case  and  all  reduced 
to  writing  and  is  still  preserved.    The 


governor  went  from  house  to  house 
summoning  the  witnesses  before  him 
and  himself  questioned  each  one  re- 
garding the  quarrel,  Its  origin,  prog- 
ress and  result.  Sabrevoye's  wound 
was  not  serious  and  the  affair  was 
patched  up  and  Cadillac  was  released. 
When  Cadillac  was  commandant  at 
Detroit,  some  years  later,  Sabrevoye 
came  here  to  live  and  remained  for 
seme  years. 

In  a  little  square,  nearly  under  the 
Chateau  Frontenac,  the  grand  hotel 
of  Quebec,  stands  a  small  church  call- 
ed Notre  Dame  des  Victolres.  This 
was  first  erected  In  1688,  but  has  since 
been  reconstructed  and  Is  now  of  a 
modern  form,  but  Is  still  on  its  ancient 
foundation. 

Cadillac  was  not  married  in  this 
church,  for  It  was  erected  the  year 
succeeding  his  marriage,  but  probably 
within  Its  doors  some  of  his  children 
were  baptized,  for  his  son  Antolne  was 
born  In  Quebec  In  1692.  James  was 
born  there  in  1695.  Peter  Denis  was 
born  there  June  13,  1699,  and  was  bur- 
led there  July  4,  1700.  Marie  Ann 
was  born  in  Quebec,  June  7,  and  died 
June  9,  1701,  and  Rene  Liouls,  who  was; 
born  In  Detroit,  died  in  Quebec  in  1714, 
so  that  around  this  church  some  of  the 
moat  Interesting  events  in  the  life  of 
Cadillac  are  clustered. 

Concerning  this  church  Phileas  Gag- 
non,  probably  the  best  historical  au- 
thority In  Quebec,  recently  wiote  to 
me:  "The  church  of  Notre  Dame  de  la 
Vlctolre  is  and  has  been  the  only 
church  built  In  the  lower  town  of  this 
city.    It  stands  on  what  was  called  In 

1687  'Place  Royal,'  on  account  of  a 
bronze  bust  of  Louis  XIV.,  erected 
there  that  year  by  Bochart  Cham- 
pigny.       This   church    was    erected    In 

1688  but  It  was  not  called  Notre  Dame 
de  la  Vlctoii-e  until  1690.  In  that  year 
amid  the  Joy  caused  by  the  defeat  of 
Sir  Wnilam  Phipps,  in  his  attempt  to 
capture  the  town  of  Quebec,  the  feast 
of  Notre  Dame  de  la  Vlctolre  was  es- 
tablished, to  be  annually  celebrated  in 
this  church  on  the  7th  of  October— 
that  being  the  day  on  which  the  first 
Intelligence  of  the  coming  of  the  Eng- 
lish was  received.  After  the  shipwreck 
of  the  English  fleet  In  1711,  which  was 
considered  by  the  inhabitants  as  a  eec* 


ond  victory,  and  little  less  than  a  mi- 
raculous interposition  in  their  favor, 
the  church  received  thj  name  of  Notre 
Dame  des  Victolres,  in  order  to  com- 
memorate both  occasions  at  the  same 
time." 

Within    the   pre?ent    church,    on    the 
wall  facing  the  pulpit  is  a  marble  slab 
with     an   inscription     to  indicate     the 
principal  events  in  the  history  of    the 
church,   as  follows: 
1688  lei   Mai,    Pose  de  la  1  ere 
Dlerre    par   le    Marquis 
de    Denonvllle   gouverneur 
Innocent   XI   Pape 
Louis  XIV  Rol  de  France 
L'EfTllse  est   dedlee  a 
I'enfant  Jesus. 

1690  Defalt  de  Tarme'}  Phipps 
Tesrlise  prend  le  tltre  de  N.   D. 
d(    la  Vlctolre 
ITU  Dispersion  de  la  flotte  de 
rarmee  Walker,   I'egllse 
prend  le  tltre  de  N.  D.  des  Victolres 
1759  Incendlse  pendant  le  siege 
1765       Rebatle 
1888      Rsetoree  a  I'occaslon 
du  2elne  contaire 

Across  the  street  from  this  church  Is 
the  Hotel  Blanchard,  which,  I  was  in- 
formed, is  built  on  the  site  of  a  con- 
vent which  was  established  In  the 
seventeenth  century.  In  this  convent 
Madam  Cadillac  placed  her  eldest 
daughter  Magdelalne,  when  she  set  out 
for  Detroit  in  the  summer  of  1701. 

Cadillac  had  reached  the  site  of  De- 
troit and  laid  the  foundation  for  the 
new  post  on  the  24th  day  of  July,  1701. 
He  brought  with  him  his  eldest  son, 
Antolne,  then  a  youth  of  some  9  ye<irs 
of  a^.^  His  living  children  at  this 
time,  besides  his  son  Antolne,  were  his 
eldest  daughter,  Magdelaine,  and  his 
son  Jacques.  Two  other  children, 
Pierre  Denis  and  Marie  Anne,  had  died 
in  Quebec.  The  latter,  Marie  Anne, 
died  after  her  father  had  left  that 
city  to  go  w     *. 

Fr.  Anjabr  (or  Enjabran),  a  Jesuit 
priest,  and  1  believe  the  only  Jesuit 
who  was  friendly  to  Cadillac,  was  re- 
quested to  escort  Madam  Cadillac  and 
Madam  Tonty,  wife  of  Cadillac's  lieu- 
tenant, Alphonse  Tonty,  to  Detroit, 
but  he  found  it  impossible  to  comply 
With  the  request.    However,  through 


1 


his  report  we  are  eniibled  to  determine 
that  Madam  Cad'llac.  leaving  her 
daughter  Magdelalne  In  the  convent 
above  mentioned,  started  from  Quebec 
with  her  son  Jacques,  then  6  years  of 
age,  and  reached  Three  Rivers, 
about  half  way  between  Quebec  and 
Montreal,  on  the  30th  of  August,  1701. 
On  the  10th  of  September  they  reach- 
ed and  departed  from  Montreal,  and 
arrived  at  Fort  Frontenac  (now  Kings- 
ton) on  the  23d  of  September.  The 
lateness  of  the  season  prevented  fur- 


ther progrress  of  the  party,  for  there 
was  no  stopping  place  between  Fort 
Frontenac  and  Detroit,  so  the  party 
remained  at  the  fort  during  the  win- 
ter months  and  resumed  their  journey 
as  early  as  possible  and  reached  De- 
troit In  the  early  spring  of  1702. 

In  the  archives  of  the  French  ca- 
thedral Is  to  be  found  the  register  In 
use  at  the  time  of  Cadillac's  marriage, 
and  I  have  had  the  marriage  record 
photographed  and  reproduce  It  here 
as  of  general  Interest  to  all  our  people: 


/I 


^^^       Am      a. 


PnMtti>'^^<fp, 


tC»f»V    ^tmwt 


r    .4,u^A 


itM/t/thO'  M,Jfre^^.'    4>^^/>t,iHf     "'"*v^r7-^^  «.***. 


^X'CC^t^h^ 


-/k^T^u^^y*''' 


COPY  OF  CAVZhhAQ'S  MARRIAGE  CERTIFICATE  FOUND  IN  CANA- 

PIAN  ARCHIVES, 


(TRANSLATION.) 
The   25th   of   the   month   of   June,    In   the 
year   1687,    after    the    betrothment   and   the 
publication  of  two  bans  of  marriage,   hav- 
ing  obtained    dispensation   of   the    third   of 
Monsieur  de  Bernieres,  vicar-general  cf  the 
Ijord  Bishop  of  Quebec,  the  first  being  pub- 
lished the  22d  and  the  second  the  2'lth   oi! 
the  present  month,  between  Antolne  de  La- 
mothe,    esquire,    sieur    de    Cadillac    of    the 
village  of  Port  Royal  in  Acadia,  aged  about 
26   years,    son    of    Mr.    Jean   de    la    Mothe, 
sieur  of  the  place  called  CaJiUac  of  I^aunay 
and  Semontel,  counsellor  of  the  parllamenL 
of    Toulouse,    and    of    Madam    Jeanne    de 
Malenfant,    his  father  and  mother,   of   the 
one    part;    and    of    Marie    Thereze    Guyon, 
daughter  of  the  deceased   Denis   Guyon,    a 
citizen   of   this   place,   and   Elizabeth   Bou- 
cher,  her  father  and  mother,    of   the  other 
part,   aged  about  17  years,  and  not  finding 
any  hindrance,   I,   Francois   Oupre,   cure  of 
this    parish,    have    solemnly    married    and 
given   the  nuptial   benediction   in  the  pres- 
ence   of    the    subscribing   witnesses,    sieurs 
Bartheleml  Desmarest,  Michel  Denys  Guy- 
on, Jacques  Guyon,    Denys   le  Maitre,   who 
have  signed  with  the  husband  and  wife. 
LAMOTHE  LAUNAY. 
MARIE   THERESE   GUYON. 
JACQUES   GUION. 
MICHEL   GUION. 
DENIS  LE  MAITRE. 
DEMAREST. 
FRANCOIS   DUPRE. 

The  above  named  priest,  Francois 
Dupre,  came  to  Canada  May  28,  1673. 
In  1675  he  was  a  missionary  in  the 
Quebec  seminary;  first  cure  of  the 
parish  of  Champlain  in  1684,  and  cure 
of  the  parish  of  Quebec  from  1686  till 
1707.  In  1711  he  was  at  Lorette,  where 
he  died  and  was  buried  under  the  al- 
tar June  29,  1720. 

I  could  not  ascertain  the  house  on 
St.  Pierre  street  in  which  Cadillac  ana 
his  wife  lived  while  in  Quebec,  but 
a  further  investigation  of  the  titles  to 
lots  in  the  lower  town  may  give  me 
its  location. 

Outward  bound  from  Quebec  on  an 
DC  dan  steamer  I  passed  through  the 
River  St.  Lawrence,  past  the  falls  of 
Montmorency  and  down  the  gulf,  hug- 
ging the  southern  shore,  which  is  dot- 
ted with  the  little  hamlets  of  fisher- 
men, whose  ancestors  took  up  this  oc- 
cupation centuries  ago  and  whose  de- 
scendants will  probably  continue  t  for 
centuries  to  come.  -The  scenery  along 


this  coast  Is  grand,  and  beyond  the 
power  of  my  pen  to  adequately  de- 
scribe. 

After  a  few  days'  sail  I  reached 
Charlottetown,  In  Prince  Edward 
Island,  and  now  began  to  feel  that  I 
was  in  America,  for  here  everyone 
speaks  English,  and  French  is  appar- 
ently unknown.  From  Charlottetown 
a  ride  of  a  few  hours  on  a  great  ferry 
steamer  takes  us  to  Pictou  in  Nova 
Scotia. 

Pictou  is  a  small  place  and  can  be 
fitly  described  as  "over-ripe,"  for  it 
has  reached  the  zenith  of  its  prosperity 
and  Is  sinking  to  decay.  From  Pictou 
the  railroad  carried  me  south  across 
the  Isthmus  to  Halifax.  The  country 
is  beautiful,  but  as  this  portion  was 
unknown  to  the  French  or  uninhabited 
by  them  I  did  not  take  so  great  an 
interest  in  either  Charlottetown,  Pic- 
tou or  Halifax. 

After  a  short  stay  in  Halifax  I  again 
took  the  train  across  the  isthmus  In  a 
northwesterly  direction  to  Annapolis 
Roytl.  This  is  the  land  of  Evangeline. 
Longfellow  has  appropriately  de- 
scribed this  country: 
This  is  the  forest  primeval,  the  murmuring 

pines  and  the  hemlocks. 
Bearded  with  moss,  and  In  garments  green, 

indistinct  in  the  twilight, 
Stand  lilte  Druids  of  Eld,   with  voices  sad 

and  prophetic, 
Stand  like  harpers  hoar,    with  beards  that 

rest  on  their  bosoms. 
I  never  saw  a  country,  on  the  1st  of 
September,  so  green  and  pretty  as  this 
country  is.  In  the  states  the  verdure 
is  burned  and  yellow  from  the  hot  days 
of  July  and  August,  but  here  the  trees 
and  shrubs  and  grass  ire  as  greei?  and 
fresh  as  if  the  winter  snows  had  but 
recently  melted  and  the  April  showers 
had  given  fresh  life  and  vigor  to  all 
nature. 

On  through  Grand  Pre  and  along  the 
shores  of  the  basin  of  Mtnas,  where 
Evangeline  and  her  lover  lived,  skirt- 
ing the  waters  of  the  bay,  through 
beautiful  and  quiet  scenery,  our  train 
of  3ome  20  cars,  heavily  laden  with 
passengers,  draws  up  at  Annapolis, 
the  end  of  its  journey.  A  great  excur- 
sion of  country  folks  on  the  Intercolo- 
nial line  were  returning  from  a  day 
spent  In  Halifax  and  the  cars  were 


crowded  with  passengers  and  filled 
with  the  merry  laughter  of  the  young 
folks. 

Nova  Scotia  was  originally  covered 
with  evergreens,  pine,  hemlock,  juni- 
per, cedar  and  spruce  trees.  On  the 
cultivated  portions  these  evergreens 
have  been  cleared  off  except  an  occa- 
sional tree  or  shrub,  but  there  are 
thousands  of  acres  on  which  the  origi- 
nal forests  are  still  standing  as  green 
as  on  the  day  Champlain  first  visited 
the  country.  The  picture  that  Long- 
fellow draws  of  Evangeline's  home  is 
perfect,  except  that  the  pine  trees  and 
other  timber  seem  to  be  of  a  dwarf 
variety  and  not  the  stately  pines  of 
Michigan. 

It  la  but  a  short  distance  from  Grand 
Pre  to  Annapolis  and  the  country  is  of 
that    same   beautiful    green   that   one 
sees  everywhere  In  Nova  Scotia. 
Historic  Old    Port    Royal. 

Annapolis  was  my  destination  and  a 
longer  stop  than  usual  was  made  at 
this  point,  for  it  was  full  of  interest 
to  me  of  a  period  that  antedates  Evan- 
geline by  half  a  century.  It  was  called 
Port  Royal  by  the  French  and  was  the 
most  important  of  their  early  settle- 
ments in  America,  for  it  was  occupied 
by  them  as  early  as  1605.  The  posses- 
sion of  the  place  passed  from  France 
to  England  and  wels  again  returned 
to  France  several  times  before  its  final 
cession  to  England  in  1718. 

A  fort  was  erected  in  1605,  which  was 
probably  enlarged  and  Improved  as 
time  passed  on.  This  fort  is  still  In 
existence,  or  rather  the  earthworks 
and  some  of  the  stone  buildings  still 
remain,  though  it  is  no  longer  used  for 
military  purposes.  The  fort  grounds 
cover  some  30  acres  of  land  and  the 
earthworks  cover  a  goodly  portion  of 
that  ground.  The  embankments  are 
still  nearly  Intact,  and  show  that  an 
immense  amount  of  work  was  done  to 
carry  the  dirt  that  forms  these  great 
earthworks,  for  the  French  had  no 
horses  or  caittle  with  which  to  do  this 
work,  and  the  earth  was  carried  from 
a  distance  on  the  backs  of  Indian  wo- 
men. The  great  piles  of  earth  show 
that  this  was  the  work  of  years.  The 
sand  in  one  place,  at  a  comer  of  the 
fort,  threatened  to  slide  in  and  thus 
destroy  the  corner,  and  a  stone  wall 
was  ereoted  to  hold  it  in  place.    The 


wall  remains  as  it  was  built,  wi'thout 
mortar;  insld'e  this  wall  and  close 
against  It  are  two  huge  willows,brought 
from  France,  of  a  specie  not  found  in 
America.  These  willows  are  now  at 
least  four  feet  in  diameter,  showing 
that  they  must  have  been  set  out  here 
250  years  ago.  At  the  northwest  cor- 
ner of  the  fort,  and  on  the  interior, 
is  what  is  locally  termed  the  "Black 
Hole."  It  Is  supposed  that  it  was  in- 
tended as  a  prison  for  refractory  sol- 
diers or  Indians.  It  is  not  large  enough 
to  hold  more  than  a  dozen  or  20  people 
at  once,  and  it  is  more  likely  that  It 
was  Intended  as  a  small  powder  maga- 
ine,  or  else  to  hold  the  arms  of  the  sol- 
diers. On  the  western  side  and  about 
mddway  down  the  curtain  is  the  sally 
pont.  This  looks  toward  Annapolis 
basin.  The  masonry  is  as  old  as  the 
earthworks,  and  seems  likely  to  be 
able  to  withstand  the  ravages  of  time 
for  many  centuries. 

Q,aeer  Powder  Masraxlne. 

The  most  interesting  object  In  the  fort 
is  the  powder  magazine  in  the  south- 
west comer.  This  magazine  is  15  by  20 
feet  on  ithe  interior  and  30  by  36  feet 
on  the  exterior— showing  tha/t  the  walls 
are  6  to  7%  feet  In  thickness. 

The  building  is  constructed  of  a  specie 
of  limestone  brought  from  Normandy 
and  is  unlike  any  stone  found  in  this 
part  of  the  country.  The  masonry  Is 
exceedingly  substantial  and  the  mor- 
car  in  which  the  stone  was  laid  250 
years  ago  shows  no  sign  of  breaking 
in  the  mterlor.  The  arohed  roof  is 
made  without  the  aid  of  a  keystone, 
and  the  cement  is  so  strong  that  the 
necessity  of  one  was  not  felt.  With  a 
fort  as  substantial  as  this  was  and 
an  adequate  supply  of  men  and  mu- 
nitions of  war  the  French  could  have 
withstood  an  army  of  Englishmen. 

Behind  the  fort,  and  to  the  souith  of 
it,  were  clustered  the  dwellings  of  the 
people  of  Port  Royal,  a  small  village, 
for  although  there  were  some  500  or  600 
people  in  the  settlement  around  the 
fort,  they  were  scattered  over  ithe  sur- 
rounding farming  lands  for  many  miles. 
The  country  had  been  so  long  occu- 
pied by  them  that  they  had  no  fear  of 
the  Indians,  and  they  thought  they 
were  prepared  for  incursions  from  the 
English. 


i 


-11 


iii 


.ill 


Annapolis  basin  Is  a  long  bay  set- 
ting in  from  the  Bay  of  Fundy,  some 
20  or  25  miles,  and  it  is  at  the  eastern 
extremity  of  this  basin  that  the  fort 
was  erected.  The  entrance  from  the 
bay  to  the  basin  is  much  narrower 
than  the  basin  is  after  that  point  is 
passed.  Midway  along  the  basin  is 
Goat  Island.  The  water  in  the  basin 
is  of  sufflclent  depth  to  float  the  larg- 
est vessels,  for  the  tide  rises  25  to  30 
feet  at  the  eastern  extremity  of  the 
basin,  and  the  tide  in  the  Bay  of 
Fundy,  the  highest  In  the  world,  rises 
over  50  feet. 

CaOlllac'ii     Home     Bnrned    by    the 
BrltlMh. 

In  1690  Cadillac  lived  In  Port  Royal 
and  owned  a  house  In  the  village  there. 
In  1689  war  had  broken  out  between 
France  and  England  over  the  expul- 
sion of  King  James  II.  by  England, 
and  the  harboring  of  him  by  Louis 
XIV.  of  France,  and  the  warfare  was 
to  be  carried  on  in  America,  as  well  as 
In  Europe.  When  this  war  was  de- 
clared Cadillac  was  residing  on  Mount 
Desert  island,  which  he  owned,  but  he 
removed  his  family  to  Port  Royal, 
probably  for  better  security,  and  pur- 
chased a  dwelling  for  them  behind  the 
fort. 

He  was  probably  engaged  with  the 
ur.cle  of  his  wife,  Francois  Guyon,  on 
shipboard,  looking  out  for  English 
vessels  that  they  might  capture  or  de- 
stroy, and  spent  but  little  time  with 
his  family  at  the  fort.  At  that  time 
the  only  child  that  Cadillac  had,  of 
which  we  have  any  record,  was  Mag- 
delaine,  who  was  born  either  on  Mount 
Desert  Island  or  at  Port  Royal. 

Sir  William  Phipps,  governor  of 
Massachusetts,  had  been  Instructed  by 
his  government  to  take  such  part  In 
tho  war  with  France  as  he  might  be 
able,  both  to  protect  the  English  set- 
tlements In  America  and  to  Inflict  all 
possible  Injury  on  the  French.  With 
this  end  In  view  he  set  out  In  April, 
1690,  to  achieve  something  for  the  glory 
of  England  and  the  discomfiture  of 
France.  Sailing  into  Annapolis  basin 
In  the  latter  part  of  May,  he  took  the 
place  by  surprise,  and  it  was  obliged 
to  surrender  to  him  without  offering 
any  resistance. 

While  the  lives  of  the  citizens  were 
spared  their  houscz  were  plundered 
and  some  of  them,   Cadillac's  among 


the  number,  were  burned.  The  parish 
church  was  destroyed  and  the  priests, 
Petit  and  Trouve,  with  some  38  sol- 
diers were  carried  prisoners  to  Bos- 
ton'. 

Cadillac's  family,  burned  out,  started 
to  return  to  Quebec,  were  taken  pris- 
oners by  the  English,  but  were  re- 
leased as  non-combatants,  and  proceed- 
ed home.  Mount  Desert  Island,  which 
belonged  to  Cadillac,  and  on  which  he 
resided  In  1689,  Is  on  the  coast  of 
Maine;  Cadillac's  possessions  not  only 
Included  this  Island,  but  several  thou- 
sand acres  of  the  adjacent  mainland, 
Including  the  modern  Bar  Harbor. 

I  have  been  unable  to  ascertain  why 
this  valuable  and  extensive  tract  was 
given  to  Cadillac,  for  he  had  not  ac- 
complished much  at  this  time  to  war- 
rant the  government  In  making  the 
gift.  It  is  possible  that  his  work  on 
tho  ocean  was  better  known  than  the 
records  seem  to  Indicate  now,  and  that 
this  land  was  given  In  compensation 
for  that  work. 

He  was  familiar  with  the  entire  coast 
line  and  one  of  the  earliest  French 
maps  of  Boston,  as  well  as  one  of  the 
earliest  maps  of  New  York,  both  made 
by  Franquelin,  bear  the  mark  of  ap- 
proval of  Cadillac.  At  a  later  period 
and  during  the  war  he  accompanied 
an  expedition  to  New  York,  or  Man- 
athe,  as  he  calls  it,  Intending  to  attack 
that  place  by  water;  but  the  plan 
failed  for  want  of  concert  between  the 
land  and  naval  forces. 

Jealoiuiy  of  the  Ii*rench. 

While  my  visit  to  Boston  and  Cam- 
bridge, with  their  great  libraries  so 
full  of  historical  matters  of  those  early 
days,  and  the  great  Lenox.  Astor  and 
Tilden  libraries  of  New  York,  were 
of  exceeding  interest  to  me  in  these 
studies,  the  memory  and  name  of  Cad- 
illac is  to  be  found  only  In  the  old 
records.  Nothing  remains  now  as  it 
was  in  his  day. 

A  trip  up  the  Hudson  is  beautiful 
and  interesting,  but  far  more  interest- 
ing to  me  were  two  old  documents  I 
found  in  archives  in  the  great  state 
capitol  at  Albany.  As  preliminary  to 
the  introduction  of  these  papers  I 
would  state  that  shortly  after  Cadillac 
reached  the  site  of  Detroit  the  Eng- 
lish, at  a  treaty  meeting  with  the  Iro- 


// 


OLD  POWDER  MAGAZINI';  AT  ANNAPOLIS. 


quois  Indians,  obtained  from  these  In- 
dians a  deed  of  all  the  land  in  the 
west  as  far  as  Chicago,  and  including 
the  present  Detroit.  This  deed  has 
been  printed  several  times  and  can  be 
found  in  extenso  in  volume  4,  page  908, 
oil  the  "New  York  Colonial  Manu- 
scripts." It  is  dated  July  19,  1701,  but 
the  difference  in  computation  of  time 
between  protestant  and  catholic  coun- 
tries makes  this,  In  the  French  calen- 
dar, July  29,  or  four  days  after  Cadil- 
lac arrived  at  Detroit.  In  this  deed 
Detroit  is  called  Tjeughsaghrondle 
(this  name  can  be  spelled  some  70  dif- 
ferent ways),  and  Lake  Erie  is  called 
Swege. 

The  proposed  erection  of  the  fort  at 
Detroit  was  evidently  known  to  the 
Iroquois  some  time  before  Cadillac  se- 
lected its  site,  and  both  the  Indians 
south  of  the  great  lakes  and  the  Eng- 
lish were  excited  over  it  and  proposed 
to  stop  it  If  possible.  It  was  at  this 
time  and  in  this  situation  of  affairs 
that  the  two  documents  I  have  found 
were  written,  and  they  fully  explain 
themselves. 

Robert  Livingston  was  secretary  of 
Indian  affairs  and  John  Nanfan  was 
lieutenant-governor. 


The    papers    have,    I    believe,    never 
been  printed,  and  I  give  them  in  full: 
Report  of   Laurence  Clease 
ye  Interpreter  come  from 
Onnandago  ye  10th.  of  Octob 
1701  in  Albany. 
Pursuant   to   the   Instructions 
given  me  the  5th.  Instant  I  went  to 
Onnandago  where  I  found  ye  Sa- 
chims  of  ye  Slnnekes,  Cayugas 
and  Onnandagos   convlnd,    who 
had  bolts  sent  them  from  ye  Maguasa 
and  Oneydes,  they  asked  me  If  Quldor 
was  come  according  to  their  desire,  I 
told  them  no,  and  that  he  had  great 
Inclination  to  come  but  ye  season  of 
ye  year  would  not  admltt  It,  there 
being  dayly  much  rain   and  cold 
weather   to   be   expected. 
Then  they  asked  me  If  ye 
Secretary.   Mr.  Livingston,   was  gon 
to  England  according  to  their  oar- 
nest  request  made  In  ye  publike 
propositions  when  they  were  Last  at 
Albany  to  acquaint  the  King  how 
ye  French   Incroached  upon  their 
Country  for  they  had  not  only  made 
a  fort  at  Tjughsaghronle,    but 
have,  since  ye  Sachlms  were  last 
at  Albany,  made  two  trading 
houses  on  this  side  of  ye  Lake  hard 
by  ye  Slnnekes  at  ye  two  principall 
Places  where  our  Indians  must  pass 
by.  when  they  come  from  hunting, 
and  have  brought  thither  all  sorts 
of  Indian  goods,  one  of  ye  Places 


R''i!l 
111 


.:i!i 


ii  i, 


Is  called  Dekana  Sachtlago.  and 
the  other  Tenchjuchjago,  we 
fear  If   tho  Secretary  does  not 
goe  who  knows  all  our  affairs 
that  I^etters  will  not  be  regarded 
and  then  we  shall  Loose  our 
country  and  our  hunting  u,nd   those 
of  AibPny  wUl  Loose  their  Trade 
for  we  see  ye  frenrh  are  a  diligent 
People— always   In  action  but  ye 
People  of  Albany  aro  as  if  they 
were  Lame  or  Crl    e,  goe  no 
where  to  Trade  to  no  Indians 
The  French  are  passed  by  to  ye  Fort 
which  they  have  made  this  Summer 
and  have  a  french  woman  in  each 
Canoe,  but,  we  see  not  that  Corlalr 
does  any   thing. 
I  answered  that  ye  Secretary 
was  gone,   upon  which  they 
said,   are  the  leters  gone,    I  told  ym 
I  did  not  know. 
I   told   them    further  yt 
I  was  come  upon  their  message   which 
they  sent   to   Albany,    concerning 
their  Resolution  to  send  Agents 
to  make  Peace  with  ye  Davaganhads 
and  other  farr  Indians  at  Tjugh- 
Saehrondie  and  yt  I  had  a  great 
bolt  from  Corcair  to  send  wll  ym 
to   confirm  ye  Peace  and   to   assure 
ye  farr  Indians  that  they  should 
be  welcome  to  come  to  Albany  and 
well  Treated  where  they  would  find 
Roods  cheaper   than  at   Canada 
The  Sachims  were  well 
satisfied  and  took  ye  bolt  sent 
bv  Corlalr,  and  said  they  had  not 
only  concluded  to  make  Peace  with  ye 
farr  Indians,   at  TJughsaghrondle   (ac 
cording  to  their  desire  signified  to  ym 
by   a   Sinneka   Prisoner  whom   they   had 
released  and  sent  to  ye  5  nations  for  yt 
purpose)   but  have  sent  ye  Prisoners 
of  ye  farr  Indians  away  before  with 
some  Indians  to  acquaint  ye  Dowagan- 
haes  that  they  were  a  Comoing  to 
make  peace  with  them  at  TJughsagh- 
rondle. In  which  Peace  our  Brother  Corlalr 
shall  be  Included,  and  we  will  make  one  ar- 
ticle that  they  come  and  trade  at  Albany 
for  which  the  Path  shall  be  open  and  clean. 
Concerning  ye  bad  news  that  the 
messenger  said  was  at  Onnandago  the 
matter  is  this,   a  rumour  is  spread  among 

the 
Indians     that     DeScannisson,    and    another 

when 
he  was  Last  at  N.  Torke  should  betray  the 
five  nations  to  ye  governour  of  N.  Yorke  to 
be  Destroyd  and  that  he  should  have  done 


ye  same  to  ye  governour  of  Canada,  giving 
a  Bolt  to  each  governour  and   that  this 
story,  should   come   from   Kendrlk   ye    Ma- 

guass 
who  should  have  said  it  to  Aqueondars  and 
ye  DeKanissord  has  sent  a  post  to  the 
Govornour  of  Canada  to  free  hii'^self  of  this 
imputation. 

When  I  came  back  I  asked  Ken- 
drlk ye  Indian  and  Aqueenders  but  they 
know  nothing  of  ye  matter,  being  a  notorlus 
lye,  however  it  hath  made  a  great  stirr 
among  ye  Indians  In  this  country 
I  found  ye  Indians  at  Onnan- 
dago very  much  divided  in  two 
factions,   ye  one  for  ye  English 
the  other  ye  French,   but  I 
believe  those  that  are  for 
for  this  government  are  ye 
strongest  and  those  Sachlma 
that  are  of  our  side  desire 
me  that  I  would  tell  Corlalr 
and   Quinder   yt   it   was   their   desire 
yt  a  messenger  be  sent  to  Canada 
to  forbidd  the  Governour  of  yt 
Place  to  make  such  trading  house 
on   their   Ground   for  those   trading 
houses  would  be  soon  converted 
Into   Forts. 

LAURENCE  CLEASE. 

Anotlier  Note  of  Alarm. 

To   the  Hon.   John  Nanfan  Esq. 

Lieut.    Gov.    and  Commander   In   Chief 

of  ve  Province  of  N.  Yorke  &c. 
The  humble  Memoriall  of  Rt.  Livingston 

Sec   for  yr   Indian   Affairs   showeth 

How  that  he  has  been  lately  at  Albany  to 
Enqulr 

Into  ye  state  of  ye  Indians  of  ye  five  na- 
tions  who 

he  finds  by  ye  interpreter  lately  come  from 
them 

that   they    are    very    much    divided    among 
themselves  by 

a  french  faction  among  them  as  by  ye  said 

Interpreter's    report    under    his    hand    ap- 
pears. 

That  ye  French   of  Canada  have   not  only 
built  a   new  fort 

this   summer   at    TJughsaghrondle    between 
ve   lake 

of    Sweege    and    Ottowawa    the    prlnclpall 
place 

of    Bever    hunting,    but    have    lately    built 
two    trading   houses 

on  this  side  of  ye  lake   near  ye   Slnnekes 
and 

stored  them  with  all  sorts  of  Indian  goods. 
He   doth 

therefore   offer   it   as    his   opinion    for   the 
expelling  of  french 


13 


0 


III  li' 


from  his  Majat  territories  and   preventing 

of  the  like 
JLncroachmentB  for  the  future  that  a  party 

of  men  be  sent 
forthwith     to     destroy     ye     said     Trading 

Houses  save  the 
Koods  and   distribute  them   among  the   In- 
dians and  discharge 
ye   French    from   settling   on   this   side   of 

ye  lake 
That  Lawrence  ye  Interpreter  be  sent  with 

some  of 
or  such  as  your  honr.    Shal  think  fltt  as  far 
as    TJughsaghrondle    out    a    hunting    with 

some  of 
our  Indians  to  make  a  discovery  of  what 

the  French 
are   a  doing,   what   fort  they   have   made, 

what 
treaties  they  have  agreed  to  with  ye  farr 
Indians,    havn   our  Indians    conclude  their 

Deace   with 
ye  said   far   Indians   and   on   what   terms, 

and    withal  to 
endevor  to  brint;  some  of  ye  farr  Indians  to 
Albany  to  trade,  •    •    • 

October  20.  1701. 

ROBT.    LIVINGSTON. 


Thus  I  completed  my  first,  but  I  sin- 
cerely hope  not  my  last,  journey  in  the 
footsteps  of  Cadillac. 

C.  M.  BURTON. 
September,  1898. 


ULNDINQ  OP  CADILLAC. 


Ulatorlc     Kvent    That    Mlgrht     Be 
Coinineniora,te«l. 

Among  the  many  suggestions  for  the 
proposed  bicentenary  of  the  founding 
of  Detroit,  little  has  been  advanced 
that  might  be  considered  Qersonal  to 
the  illustrious  Frenchman,  who  with 
his  band  of  hardy  adventurers  on  the 
23d  day  of  July,  1701,  landed  where 
the  city  of  Detroit  now  stands. 

In  Robert  B.  Ross's  work,  "The 
Landmarks  of  "Wayne  County  and  De- 
troit," the  first  chapter  is  devoted  ex- 
clusively to  a  graphic  pen  picture  of 
this  historical  incident.  A  brief  re- 
sume of  the  chapter  may  prove  sug- 
gestive to  the  committee  in  charge  of 
the  program  of  exercises, 

On  June  5,  1701,  the  Cadillac  expe- 
dition started  from  La  Chine,  above 
Montreal,  and  entered  the  Ottawa 
river.  They  threaded  the  windings  of 
that  stream  for  over  300  leagues,  mak- 


ing 30  portages,.  The  remainder  of 
the  .route  was  down  French  river  10 
Lake  Huron.  The  party  crossed  the 
lake  and  landed  where  Gonsolus  Du- 
lutl-  had  in  1687  built  a  fort,  burned  by 
the  Indians  two  years  later.  They 
passed  down  St.  Clair  river  and  lake, 
and  entered  the  Detroit  river  late  in 
the  afternoon,  having  accomplished  a 
voyage  of  over  1,000  miles    in  40  days. 

The  expedition  was  a  ponderous  one 
for  those  days.  There  were  25  large 
canoes,  or  bateaux,  in  which  were  100 
white  men.  These  boats  were  26  feet 
long  by  6  feet  beam,  having  each  two 
tons  burden.  One  hundred  Algonquin 
warriors  in  birchbark  canoes,  consti- 
tuted the  escort  to  the  white  voyag- 
ers. Silently  they  rounded  the  head  of 
Belle  Isle  and  glided  down  the  river. 
No  notice  was  given  of  their  approach. 
They  were  er.tering  upon  the  choice 
hunting  grounds  of  the  cruel  and 
treacherous  Iroquois. 

Cadillac,  with  an  eye  to  the  future, 
was  looking  for  a  site  on  which  to 
establish  a  fort  and  trading  post.  Half 
of  the  men  he  had  with  him  were  sol- 
diers, while  the  rest  were  farmers  and 
mechanics.  The  view  and  situation 
of  Belle  Isle  decided  Cadillac.  It  re- 
minded him  of  Isle  Royal,  where  Paris 
was  first  built. 

The  evening  meal  was  prepared  and, 
after  religious  exercises  by  two  priests, 
the  weary  travelers,  without  molesta- 
tion, sought  the  needed  repose.  The 
following:  morning,  after  early  mass, 
Cadillac  raised  the  white  banner  with 
its  three  lilies,  and  in  the  name  of 
Lcuis  XIV.  proclaimed  the  land  a 
French  possession.  Among  the  first 
buildings  erected  was  the  rustic 
church,   dedicated   to  Ste,   Anne. 

While  Cadil.ac  and  his  brave  band 
had  been  threading  the  windings  of 
the  Ottawa,  the  Iroquois  chiefs, 
knowing  the  purpose  of  his  voyage, 
had  held  a  council  with  the  British 
authorities  in  New  York,  the  result 
of  which  was  the  ceding  and  convey- 
ing to  William  III.  of  England  all 
their  right  and  title  to  lands  in  the 
northwest,  including  the  straits  of  De- 
troit. They  had  previously  protested 
to  Cadillac  against  the  establishing  of 
a  fort  at  Detroit,  but  he  had  replied 
that  all  that  territory  belonged  to 
the  French  king,  his  master.  Incensed, 
they   made   terms   with   the   English. 


/s 


J 


As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  Iroquois 
chiefs  had  signed  the  conveyances  to 
the  British  governor  Just  five  days  be- 
fore Cadillac  landed  at  Detroit. 

At  first  the  Intention  was  to  found 
the  post  on  Grosse  Isle,  but,  turning 
their  boats  up  stream  again,  the  party 
landed  near  where  the  first  French 
fort  was  built. 

Could  not  this  great  episode  In  the 


history  of  Detroit  be  made  a  promi- 
nent feature  of  the  coming  bicenten- 
ary' What  a  pageant  could  be  given 
on  the  river,  with  a  reproduction  of 
the  fleet  of  Cadillac,  bateaux,  canoes, 
soldiers,    habitants,    Indians,    etc. 

J.  W.  F.  M. 


